The Protector (10 page)

Aaron
walked over to them. “Blair, I am going to take Mandy with me to see Doctor
Trask.”

Blair
didn’t miss the way Mandy looked down shyly, or how Aaron watched Mandy
carefully. She would have to tell Myra about this once Mandy was feeling
better. Myra loved playing matchmaker, and maybe if she was busy with Mandy and
Aaron, she would leave her and Cole alone.

 
“Yes, good idea. Then I think you should take
Mandy home. She moved out of her parents’ place a few months ago.”

Mandy
gave Blair a stunned look, but didn’t say anything. She was not trying to get
Mandy and Aaron alone together. Mandy had been through a terrible shock, and
the last thing she needed was to sit by herself in her apartment. At least if
Aaron was there, she would not be alone and frightened.

More
cholan
arrived and started taking evidence, and
finding the scent of the man who attacked Mandy.

Blair
walked over to Cole once he was finished giving orders to his
Cholan
deputies.

“Something
happened, and I need to tell you,” Blair said with hesitation in her voice.
Shifting without control was something new shifters had trouble with, not
thirty-one year old women who had been shifting since they were fourteen.

 
“What?” Cole asked, looking down at her.
 

Blair’s
stomach flip-flopped as she stared into his eyes. How could she ever convince
herself she didn’t love him? She was terrified right now, and not about any
sort of punishment, but that Cole would be disappointed in her. “I shifted in
front of that human.” When Cole opened his mouth, she put a finger over his
lips. “I didn’t intend to shift. It just happened. The man was fully human, no
trace of magic at all with him. He ran because I turned into a fox, not because
I attacked him.”

Cole
did not look angry, or even annoyed. He only pulled Blair close to him and held
her. “I could have lost you, before I ever had a chance to fix things with us.”

“Aren’t
you mad? You know our laws,” Blair asked, surprised. She wrapped her arms
around him and sank into the strength of his embrace.

“No,
I am thankful you are unharmed, and that you got here before Mandy was raped.
It could have been so much worse. If
your
shifting
keeps happening, we may need to see the doc to find out if it is a medical
issue.”

“Well,
that’s a relief. I thought after what happened with Cassie, I was in deep
shit.”

Cole
looked down at her and raised his eyebrows. “Oh, you are in trouble, my little
fox. Don’t think I do not have punishment planned. You know, I figured out you
were in my house all that time. You ate my pizza. I thought it was Harley.”

Blair
snuggled her face into his chest to hide her amusement. She could not stop her
body from shaking as she laughed, however.

“Oh,
you laugh now. Just you wait, little fox,” Cole said with dark promise in his
tone.

“It
was great pizza, but
face
it, even if Harley hadn’t
shown up, I still would have tricked you.”

Cole
gave her a dark look but smiled. “You know how to drive me so crazy I can’t
think straight.”

“What
are you going to do?” Blair asked while trying to get her laughter under
control.

“Now?
I am going to throw you over my
shoulder and take you home. I may tie you to my bed, so you do not sneak off
again.”

“You
wouldn’t,” she said then squeaked when Cole threw her over his shoulder and
walked towards the door. “You all have your orders,” he called as he walked. “I
want this asshole found. He witnessed Blair shifting, so he cannot leave this
territory.”

Blair
heard a murmur of “yes sirs” from the deputies before they got back to work.
Blair saw Michael outside talking to Caleb. “We heard what happened while we
were having a drink. Is Mandy ok?” Michael asked while Caleb watched everyone
carefully.

 
Cole patted Blair’s leg affectionately. “She
is beat up, but Blair arrived before he could rape Mandy. He knocked her around
a bit, but I am sure Doctor Trask will have her fixed up. Blair sent Aaron with
her to keep an eye on her.”

“Good,
her parents are in Alaska right now, and no one can reach them. She needs
someone to stay with her,” Blair heard Michael say.

****

Cole
held Blair over his shoulder and watched Caleb while Michael talked. He kept
his hand on her to remind himself that she was safe. When the fear subsided he
would think of ways to punish her. He knew Caleb was a powerful shifter in his
own territory and he had worked with Michael a lot. Still, something nagged at
him about Caleb. He wasn’t sure what though. Perhaps it was
his
own
insecurity. He constantly battled the feeling that he was not good
enough to take on the roles of beta,
Kelach
, and sheriff,
even though Warren and Michael thought he was well qualified.
 

Caleb
looked down at Blair with an odd expression, almost as if he was planning. The
reason was clear to Michael. He wanted her for himself. Blair’s family had
always been powerful. Even though her parents were out of communication since they
moved to France she was still considered a great mate, politically speaking. He
had never cared about her status, or what mating her could get him. He just
wanted Blair. Caleb seemed more calculating and would try to win her. Jealousy
reared up in Cole’s mind.
 

He wants what is mine. Blair is
mine. Everyone knows Blair is mine.
Even if she ran off with Caleb,
he would chase her down. Caleb had better back off if he knew what was good for
him.

“Do
you mind?” Blair said while trying to smack Cole and shaking him out of his
jealous thoughts. “I have better things to do than hang here while you talk to
them.”

Cole
landed a hard smack on Blair’s ass making her scream and kick her feet.

“Ouch,
that hurt, dammit,” Blair yelled. “You don’t have to hit me,” she said while
hitting his backside with her fists.

Cole
slapped her again. “Stop fighting or I will bend you over my rig and give you a
proper punishment in front of them.”

Blair
stopped moving instantly. Cole could feel her shaking, and he knew she was
getting mad. He didn’t mind. She had not behaved very well.

“Was
Blair able to identify the man that attacked Mandy?” Michael asked.

“I
am right here,” Blair yelled. Cole could feel her moving so she could see
Michael. Cole swatted her ass again. “Hush. Blair, you’re in enough trouble.”

Blair
flinched and squeaked, but didn’t say anything else. She was frightened and had
a bad habit of getting mouthy to cover her fear. She needed to calm down before
she got herself into more trouble.

Cole
then turned to Michael and said, “No, and both Brad and Aaron could scent a human
male. What is troubling is it is slightly familiar, which means either he or a
family member has been tracked before by them. Agent David Mannis sent a
message that he is on his way. The FBI will be taking over the child kidnapping
part of the case. Until we know, I am ordering you to stand down from your law
enforcement duties, Cole.”

Cole
opened his mouth to argue, but Michael held a hand up. “No. You know as well as
I do that when you get emotionally involved your senses can decrease
significantly and your reason is off.” Cole could only nod. No one said
Warren’s name, but the way Aaron looked at him, he knew Aaron was thinking of
Warren as well. He had a cool head and excellent tracking skills, until he knew
a loved one was in extreme danger. As much as Cole hated to admit it, Michael
was right. His not noticing Blair in his own home was embarrassing enough,
although she did cheat on that.

“When
this human is found, I want to question him. Make sure Agent Mannis knows this.
If this human has come here to harm shifters, then we will deal with him,
quickly.” Michael paused, and Cole saw him looking at Blair. “Cole, take Blair
home. Travis is in charge while you take care of Blair. David will be here
shortly, and he will take charge of tracking Stacy. If anyone needs anything
they know where to find you.”

Cole
nodded silently.

“Any news on that missing girl?”
Caleb
asked.

“No
sign of her. Her trail stops at the highway. Agent Mannis is an expert panther
tracker and has far more resources through the FBI than we have. ”

Caleb
gave Cole a worried look. “Goddess, I hope we don’t have a problem like there
was in California.”

“What
happened in California?” Blair asked. Cole looked over at her to make sure she
was comfortable. She was looking worriedly over at Michael and Caleb.

“They
had a crazy fucker hide in the shifter territory of the California Mountains.
The man started attacking shifters, and even saw a couple
shift
.
He told other humans, and it caused a huge problem.” Caleb moved closer to
Blair making Cole jealous again.

Cole
kept his eyes on Caleb but glanced over when she moved her strawberry blonde
hair out of her face. “So you think we have someone who was killing people
elsewhere, here?”

Cole
didn’t want Blair any more frightened than she needed to be. He ran his hand on
Blair’s backside. “I need to get my naughty fox home and secured. I have Brad
and Travis keeping me updated, so I will make sure you stay updated.”

Chapter
Five

Cole
walked over to his SUV and dropped Blair into the passenger seat. He smiled at
her,
then
stroked a hand gently down her face.

“I
love you so much.”

Blair
looked into his dark eyes, and he thought he saw her acceptance.

“I
love you, too,” Blair said, and she smiled. Cole felt his heart lighten. He was
not imagining her accepting his love and care for her.

“I
know you
do,
my sweet fox. That is why I won’t let you
hide from me anymore. When you run, whether it is emotionally or physically, I
will chase you and drag you back to me.”

Cole
closed the passenger side door to his patrol car and walked around the front of
it to the driver’s side. He had a mix of rage, fear, and relief battling for
control in his head. When he first got the call, he thought for a second that
Blair had come around and was ready to come home where she belonged. As soon as
he heard her tone of voice he’d known that something was wrong. Her frightened
voice on the edge of breaking down had hit Cole in the heart. For those
terrifying moments when he was trying to get to her he imagined the worst.
Knowing she’d walked in on a potential serial killer attacking Mandy, and she
had attacked him, made Cole’s heart grow cold with fear. If that man had a gun,
he could have shot Blair, and still attacked Mandy. Now that he had her, and
she was safe, he was never letting go.

He
put his hand on the door handle when his radio lit up. He pulled it out of its
cradle on his utility belt. “What have you got for me?”

“Hey
boss, it’s Aaron. Mandy has some cracked ribs, and a lot of deep bruising. They
are keeping her overnight for pain control.”

“Was
she raped?” Cole was sure Blair had gotten there in time, but there was a
chance he’d assaulted before Blair arrived.

Aaron
paused, making Cole lower his head against the door frame. Mandy was a sweet
girl that everyone liked. She was also quite a shy girl. If the perp had raped
her, then Cole had even more reason to rip the throat out of the fucker that
attacked her.

“No,
the doctors say there is no sign of a sexual assault, and Mandy has said he
didn’t rape her.”

Cole
let out a breath of relief. That was one less trauma Mandy had to try to recover
from. He knew Aaron had a crush on Mandy, and he was only fifteen years older
than she was. The way shifters aged, that was not a long time. Shifters had
fifteen to twenty years longer life than humans. Shifters who were fifty years
old looked like a human in their thirties.
 

Cole
thought being straight up with a girl was the way to go, but Aaron was shy with
the ladies, and Mandy was friendly enough, but just as shy.
 

That’s
what he loved about Blair. He didn’t scare her even though he knew he was very
intimidating. She stood up to him, regularly, and it got his wolf howling when
she did. Nothing got him hot like Blair showing off her spunk to him. Even
better was when he got to have fun planning her punishment, like right now.

“All right.
This is the plan. You are to
stay with Mandy. Do not let her out of your sight. You are to guard her with
your life.”

“I
will, I won’t let her out of my sight, I promise,” Aaron replied.

 
“I know. Make her feel safe. Either Brad or
myself
will be guarding Blair. If you need anything call my
cell phone.”

“I
will. Michael came by and talked to Mandy about her role in helping Blair hide,
and her punishment.” Aaron paused. “I will be taking care of that. When she is
feeling better she will come and apologize to you and Michael for disobeying.”

“All right.
I will look forward to it.” Cole
put his radio back in its holder and stared out into the night. Blair was back
with him and safe. That was all he cared about.

Cole
picked up his phone and called his chief deputy, Travis. “Is there anything to
report?”

“I
have our
cholan
tracking in the woods, and an FBI
team handpicked by David is here.”

“Ok,
I can call in Brad and come in.”

“No.
You heard Michael. Blair is your priority now. She has been through her own
trauma tonight. She needs you.”

Cole
knew Blair was finally softening to him, but there was a kidnapped child out
there.
David and his team are here.
Travis is highly trained as well. Take care of Blair.

“I
know your responsibility is weighing on you, sir, but Blair needs to be
protected. You are the best shifter for the job. David is here and brought his
FBI team. We have this covered,” Travis said echoing his own thoughts.
 
“The slightest development comes up and we
will inform you.”

“All right.
I will have my phone on me. I
don’t care how late it gets. Call or text
me
if
anything develops. I want Brad out here to cover the outside of the house. When
I am called out, I do not want her left alone.” He knew he needed to help Blair
realize how much he loved her before taking off for the night. Knowing his
cholan
, they would find traces of the girl’s scent, and he
could be gone for the next twenty-four hours. Taking this bit of time now would
not hurt.

“I
will, Cole,” Travis said with sincerity. “You have trained the
cholan
well. If there is any trace of her out there, they
will find her.”

“Keep
in touch.”

He
opened the passenger side door. Blair was looking at him with a worried
expression on her face. “Mandy is being kept overnight, just to be safe. She
insists she was not raped, and the doctors found no evidence of sexual assault,”
Cole told her before she could ask.

“Oh,
thank
Ilithyia
,” Blair breathed out in a relieved
tone. “I was so worried he had already raped her, and I arrived as he was
getting ready to have another go at her.”

Cole
grabbed her hand gently and leaned over to kiss her, “No, sweetheart. You got
there in time. You did
good
.”

Cole
started the car and pulled out of the alley behind the coffee shop. Blair let
him keep his hand wrapped around hers, which again had his wolf howling. It was
like he’d already won Blair back. He would be the man and wolf she needed this
time and not send her away. He wished more than anything he could go back and undo
the hurt he had caused Blair.

He
knew he’d caused those walls to be built around her heart. He had gone home
that day miserable and sure Blair would pick up a new mate, a better mate, and
live a happy life, but she never did.

She
shut many out and grew cold. She used to be the friendliest female he knew, but
when she came back she was colder. He would make it right though. Now that he
had Blair with him again, he could break down her walls, brick by brick if he
had to. When he was done, whether Blair forgave him and was willing to give him
another chance, or if she wanted to return home and have him leave her alone,
he would make sure her heart was healing so she could move on at last.

 
****

Blair
watched as the lit up streets of Pleasant Cove turned into mountain back roads.
She saw more shifters out than usual for this time of night. Cole had more than
just
cholan
out looking for who attacked Mandy. Even the
reserve deputies were out. “Have any of them found any sign of the man yet?”
She asked.

“Not
yet, I have every shifter that has any tracking out here though. We will get
him.” Cole had a hard edge to his voice, and she could see him gripping the
steering wheel hard. His expression was tight with anger.

Blair
knew they were getting close to his house. Every time she passed this way it
felt like coming home. Tonight it was even more intense of a feeling. She had
always felt complete with Cole.

He
pulled into the driveway and turned to her. “We’re home.”

She
looked at him in the dark, barely able to make out his face. “So we are.” She
was not sure what to do or say.

Cole
leaned in and wrapped his large hand around the back of her neck, and pulled
her close to him. She felt his lips brush against hers gently. When she
welcomed his kiss, he groaned and claimed her mouth in a hungry, open mouthed
kiss. His tongue thrust in possessively and danced with hers. Blair moaned at
the fire Cole ignited with his passionate kiss. He held her closer to him, and
her hard nipples strained against the thin fabric of her shirt.

Cole
ran his hands over the silky fabric of the shirt and plucked her aching
nipples. Her nipples felt like they were linked to her clit. Every time his
fingers plucked her nipples, it went straight to her clit making Blair moan.

Cole
leaned further over to deepen the kiss. Blair felt completely under his
control, and nothing made her feel safe like Cole. She let herself go and sank
into his kiss.

Cole
moved his hand from the back of her neck to the waist of her pants. He
unbuttoned them,
then
slid them down her legs. Blair
helped, not caring they were in his car.
 
Her white, lace panties were left. Cole used his finger to trace above
the intricate lace pattern before hooking his thumbs and tugging them down. He
tossed them aside and turned his attention back to Blair’s pussy. Cole put the
armrest up and pulled her close to him. He moved his hand over her mound and
into her folds, which were slick with arousal. Blair moved her legs further
apart to give him access.
 
His thumb
stroked her clit while his finger moved deeper within her flesh.

Blair
arched in her seat and gasped for air. She was going to come if he kept up this
teasing. His finger hooked the front wall of her vagina and stroked, hitting
her sensitive G-spot. Blair felt every muscle tense for a moment. Then she
exploded into a blinding orgasm. Cole stroked her bundle of nerves and her
clit, making her channel clench hard with another orgasm. She cried out Cole’s
name as her hips bucked from the bliss of rapture.

He
pulled away from her. “Let’s get inside. I don’t want to fuck out in the car. I
did that shit as a teenager.”

“I remember, I was there.”
Blair
looked over at Cole to see his eyes were bright with humor.

“You
were. There
has
always been you, just you.”

Blair
touched his face tenderly. How could she ever feel this man didn’t love her?
She felt like a bowl of Jell-O and too sated to move, but she scooted towards
the door. Cole could set her body on fire in an instant.

Cole
jumped out and ran around the car to open Blair’s door, and helped her out. As
soon as Blair stood up, Cole picked her up in his arms.

“What
are you doing? I can walk,” Blair protested even though she was grateful. The
rock path to his house was rough on her feet.

“I
know you can, but I want to do this right and carry you into our home. Besides,
you have no shoes on.” He grinned at her.
“Or pants.”
He
wagged his eyebrows with the last statement.

Blair
laughed. “You think I am going to move in?” She didn’t need him to answer with
the look he gave her.

“I
know you will. You may fight me a bit, and in fact I am counting on it. I am
looking forward to the challenge. I fucked up, I know. I am going to make it
right with you though.”

Blair
melted into him at his words. Right now she didn’t care about remaining strong
against him. She may get her heart broken when he witnessed another officer
falling, but she wanted to feel his strength around her.

Cole
walked up the porch steps with her and turned the knob of the door. Once he was
inside, he set Blair on her feet. “I can’t tell you how much I love bringing
you home, baby.”

Blair
looked up into his eyes. She could see the love shining in them, and she felt
her heart warm at the emotion. “I love it, too.”

“You
make me whole, Blair. When you are away from me, you take a piece of me with
you, and I walk around feeling like a huge part of
myself
is gone. Only with you do I feel complete. There
has
only been you, and there will only ever be you.”

Blair
felt her eyes tear up. She knew he meant every word by the emotion in his eyes.
“Cole, I feel the same way, but I am just not sure if I am the same girl you
fell in love with. I am different now.”

Cole
rested his forehead against hers. “I know, baby, you are harder now, and it is
all my
fault. I hurt you, and I can’t change that. I can
only promise to try and heal your heart.”

Blair
closed her eyes. “Cole, I am healed. Everything is fine.”

Cole
shook his head. “No, it’s not. You are colder now than you used to be. You hold
most people apart from you, and you have built walls to protect yourself. One
way or another, I will break them down.”